Columbia men’s basketball led for most of the game against Penn on Friday night at The Palestra but ultimately lost 76-67. Columbia held the lead for over 33 minutes, including a double-digit advantage early in the second half after Kenny Noland hit consecutive three-pointers to put the Lions up 55-45 with just over 14 minutes remaining.
Penn, now holding a 12-10 overall record and a 5-4 mark in Ivy League play, responded quickly with an eight-point run to cut Columbia’s lead to two points. The second half saw eight ties as both teams traded baskets.
With just over two minutes left, Columbia was ahead 65-64. However, Penn closed out the contest with a decisive 12-2 run, including scoring nine unanswered points in the final minute. During this stretch, Columbia turned the ball over three times and struggled offensively, missing 12 of their last 14 shots over nearly nine minutes.
Kenny Noland led Columbia with 22 points and made six of his nine attempts from beyond the arc. Miles Franklin recorded his first career double-double by contributing 14 points and collecting ten rebounds. Despite outrebounding Penn by five boards and shooting well from long range in the first half (five-of-eight), Columbia managed only three-of-fourteen on three-pointers after halftime.
Ethan Roberts paced Penn with a team-high 21 points as three Quakers finished in double figures.
Columbia started strong defensively, forcing Penn into just two makes on their first eleven shots. The Lions also spread out their scoring early as four different players made their initial field goals.
Despite committing nine turnovers during the opening thirteen minutes, Columbia maintained control and led by as many as seven before taking a three-point advantage into halftime following Franklin’s tip-in at the buzzer.
Columbia will continue its road trip Saturday night when it faces Princeton at 6 p.m.
